Amber and Argus
by Intercedo Circu
Summary: Mrs. Norris was found on the day that Argus proposed to his girlfriend... so why isn't he married to her?


**A/N: Long ago in the land of nod… all right, I'll stop with that. Here's my fic about dear old Argus Flich. I think it's sad, but others don't really care.**

**Kudos to my beta Ava.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Argus Flich or Mrs. Norris. Or anything to do with the Harry Potter world. **

**Oh and this was inspired by the fact that I wanted to know why Mrs. Norris is called Mrs. Norris. So I wrote it and here it is. **

**Have fun with it. The next random fic will be about Dumbledore. I'm doing the clichés!!!**

Amber and Argus

Argus Flich had never been what you would call handsome. He had a thin, pointed face; his teeth were slightly yellow and had grown out as a child all wrong. His hair was a dull dishwater type brown that fell in his eyes in the most unbecoming manner. His eyes were the same colour as his hair only they had a bit more yellow in them. All in all you could say he was plain, maybe even ugly, but defiantly not handsome.

That was Amber Norris's problem. She could see nothing about this pale young man who stood so awkwardly on the other side of the gymnasium that was attractive, yet she so wanted to go over and talk to him.

Amber was pretty, in a quiet sort of way. She had long auburn coloured hair and pale green eyes set in a pale face. She was short for her age and had issues with it. All in all she was one of the girls that most people over looked as a quiet person who had no real purpose in life. 

Her date for the dance was Timmy Henry. Just another boy who asked her to the dance so that he could come with some one and then not have to talk to her. Timmy was talking to Vanessa Louis, so Amber decided to cross the room and talk to Argus. 

He looked so out of place, his hands shoved into their pockets, his mind far away. "Hello." Amber said.

Argus looked up surprised. "Er… hello?" he said. there was a pause while Amber waited for him to say something more and Argus looked at her with a puzzled expression. "I'm sorry; I don't remember your name."

"Amber Norris, we're in the same Maths class." Amber said, holding out her hand. Argus looked confused for a moment before taking her hand and giving it a curt shake. 

"My memory is terrible." Argus said with a tight smile.

Argus could've kicked himself. Here he was talking to Amber Norris and he had already blundered it. 

He had always known her name. From the very first day when she sat in front of him in their Maths class. He had memorized her back, the way she sat, and here he was talking to her about having a terrible memory.

Which he didn't. 

"Well, mine is too." Amber said with a small smile. Argus felt his heart thump painfully in his chest. Argus shifted, trying to think of something witty to say, but was lost for words.

Amber turned to look across the dance floor. "Do you dance?" she asked.

"Not very well." Argus said with a small sigh. Not to Muggle music at least. 

His mother had sent him to the dance because she was tired of him moping around at home. He guessed she was right for trying to get him interested in muggle things. He was a squib after all.

Not that any of the Muggles in the room would know what that was anyways.

"Comeon, I'm sure you can dance just fine." Amber held out her hand. Argus smiled again, this one a little more real, before taking her hand and letting her lead him out to the dance floor.

~*~

Amber hurried into Maths, afraid that she would be late.

She wasn't.

Hurrying to her place she noticed Argus sitting there, looking at the ground. "Hello Argus." Amber whispered under the cover of the start of class.

Argus looked up surprised. "Hello Amber." He whispered back.

Amber felt her heart fluttering unnaturally. He remembered her name from the night before! Smilingly goofily, Amber returned her gaze to the front of the room where her teacher began to talk about radicals. 

Argus was surprised that Amber had even talked to him after last night. He was surprised that she even remembered him. Sighing he lent back in his chair and watched her hair catch the light. 

She was really rather pretty, he decided finally. Her back was slumped, something unusual, which Argus had taken to mean that she was daydreaming in class. He grinned slightly, wondering what she was thinking about. 

"So what is radical nine over sixteen Norris?" Mr. Fiess asked.

Amber's back straighten and she took a moment to look at the blackboard. "It would be three quarters sir." 

"Very good." Mr. Fiess returned to teaching and Amber's back remained straight. 

Argus continued watching the light catching the red curls on her back. They were beautiful, almost golden in the sunlight.

"Filch, what is radical 32?" Mr. Fiess asked.

Argus didn't really have to think about it. He had already done radicals. "Four radical two."

"Good." Mr. Fiess didn't seem to notice that Argus hadn't even looked at the board. When his back was turned Amber turned quickly and grinned at him.

Argus wondered if it was possible for him to have a heart attack.

~*~

Amber noticed Argus in the library the next day, looking over the fiction section. She wondered over to him. 

"What do you think of our project in Maths?" she asked making Argus jump.

"Oh, it's okay." Argus said. 

"You're not looking for books about it here are you?" Amber asked, looking at the single section of fiction in the library. 

"No, I'm trying to find a book I haven't read over here. Or, at least haven't read it five times." Argus smiled slightly, his teeth showing through his lips. Amber didn't care that they went in odd directions or that they were yellow. Her own teeth were yellow.

"I didn't know you read." Amber said, her eyes flicking over the self.

"I do. But I can't get up to London any time soon to go to the library there. They have books I haven't read." Argus sighed.

"Any suggestions for what I should read?" Amber asked. She didn't like reading, but she was going to try it so her conversations with Argus would have more depth to them. 

Argus looked at her. "Any preference to what kind?"

"No." Amber said. 

Argus looked over the selves carefully before pulling out a thick leather bound book. He handed it to her. "This is what you should read." He said.

Amber stared at it. _The Fellowship of the Ring_ was stamped in gold lettering, _Part One, by J.R.R. Tolkien. "What's it about?"_

"It's about a war between the dark and light side in a different world. There's a lot of deep and inner meaning to it, but it can also be a light book. If you don't like it you don't have to read the second one." Argus shrugged. "It's my favourite book."

Argus wanted Amber to like _The Lord of the Rings_, it was after all an excellent book. Or series. They were his favourites, though _The Two Towers_ was his favourite of the series. 

"I'm sure they'll be excellent!" Amber said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." Argus replied. 

"Now, I have to go and look up the Pythagorean Theorem for Maths, do you want to come?" Amber asked.

"No, sorry, I have to get home soon. Just picking up a book to read." Argus held up another book, _To Kill a Mockingbird_. 

"All right then. See you later?"

"Of course."

~*~

Amber sat on a bench in the park. It was rather seculeded but that's why she liked it. She was reading. Argus had soon her to the next to books in _The Lord of the Rings_ series and she loved them. Now that she had finished them she was reading _To Kill a Mockingbird. It had only recently come out, and was by an American author, but it was incredibly real. She loved it._

"Enjoying the book?" Argus asked stepping into the green bower.

"Very much so. It's so wonderful." Amber smiled, and put the book down on the bench. "I think it's amazing that they still have social injustices like that in America."

"We used to until only a while ago." Argus said.

"But we didn't experience it in the same way. After all, it wasn't in England."

Argus was quiet. "I didn't like _To Kill a Mockingbird_ that much." He said.

"Oh, but it's so wonderful!" Amber said, wondering why.

"It's a very nicely written book." Argus replied.

Argus was torn. He couldn't explain to her the reason why he didn't like it. It just reminded him of all the things that he experienced with the Wizarding world. 

"It's wonderfully written and the content—"

"I didn't like the content." Argus said. 

Amber looked confused. Argus seemed so cold now. "Oh well…" she said, trying to find a way to get off the subject of _To Kill a Mockingbird. _

"If you liked that you should read _Catcher in the Rye._" Argus said standing. He couldn't sit her and watch her being hurt by him. But he couldn't help it, he had lived with the knowledge that he was worse then anyone else, all the wizards, and they would have something he never could. Magic.

~*~

"Amber?" it was Argus.

"Yes?" Amber replied, looking up from her book.

"I'm sorry about being so curt with you about the book." Argus said. He looked down, shuffling his feet slightly. 

"It's okay." Amber said, glad that he wasn't mad at her. She took his hand and squeezed it. Their eyes met and suddenly it didn't matter about the book. Suddenly all that mattered was Amber's hand in Argus's and their eyes meeting.

Argus couldn't breathe as he moved closer to her. Her hand was hot in his. And she had put it there. Slowly the distance between them closed.

And then their lips met.

~*~

Amber tapped her watch. It wasn't like Argus to be five minutes late. They had decided to meet in the library again. Argus wanted to talk to her about something. She glanced around again.

Argus appeared. He hurried over to her. "Sorry." He whispered taking her hand and putting a flower into it. "I found something though, come on, let me show you."

Amber, mystified, followed her boyfriend out of the library to the bike rack. Argus pulled out a sack from in the bushes and opened it. Carefully he pulled out a small scrawny kitten.

"What do you think of her?" Argus asked, stroking the cat gently. Amber smiled and picked the kitten up. 

"She's adorable." Amber said, hugging the cat close to her. "What's her name?"

"I dunno." Argus said, watching the cat purr in Amber's arms. "How about Mrs. Norris?"

Amber laughed. "I like it." She said, gently placing the kitten into Argus's arms. She put a finger to her lip in mock concentration. "Where did you find her?"

"On the side of the road. That's why I was late. I just found the bag on the side of the road." Argus stretched the kitten on the top of the head. It purred, butting it's head against his hand.

"That's terrible!" 

"It is." Argus said with a sigh. 

"You wanted to talk to me?" Amber asked after the pause went on too long.

"Oh yes. Sorry, I wasn't thinking." Argus put the kitten on the ground. "Now you Mrs. Norris must follow me around and alert me to danger." He said sternly.

Amber laughed. Argus was odd sometimes but she loved him for it. He had a sensitive side that even she, after being his girlfriend for two years, rarely got to see. He loved animals like they were people.

Argus offered his arm and Amber took it with a smile. They walked in companionable silence for a while, simply enjoying touching each other. They entered the park near by and stopped at their favorite alcove, a bench surrounded by trees on all sides. They sat on the bench and Mrs. Norris (who had followed them) jumped up on Argus's lap.

Amber leant against Argus, enjoying the feeling of his shirt against her cheek.

"Amber?" Argus asked quietly, fingering one of her curls.

"Yes Argus?" Amber replied.

"Do you think that we've been together long enough to…to… get married?" 

Amber sat up and looked at Argus. He was blushing but he could meet her eyes. "When?"

"What?" Argus asked, suddenly looking confused.

"When would you want to get married?" Amber asked, her hert fluttering against her rib cage like a bird.

"When ever you want to." Argus said, looking surprised.

"Are you going to ask me properly?" Amber asked.

"I wasn't planning on this being our only conversation about this…" Argus said. Amber smiled and leant near him.

"I love you Argus. I'd love to be Mrs. Argus Flich." 

Argus smiled, a true and genuine smile.

~*~

"Mother," Argus complained as his mother tried to get him to look at the dress robes. "I'm going to wear a tux."

"What's a tux?" Mrs. Flich asked, leafing through the bridal magazine she had ordered. 

"Mother, Amber doesn't know I'm a squib, I can't have a wizards wedding. Besides, it would be a little hard since neither of us can be part of the wizarding world." Argus sighed, trying not to think about the fact that he had had to watch his younger brother go off to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry without him.

Argus had known as a child all about the magical world. he had been born into a wizarding family after all. He had followed the Quidditch teams and listened to the Wizard Wireless, he's been a normal child. But on his eleventh birthday, when nothing about him appeared to be magical, his mother had sighed and enrolled him in a Muggle school. When Hewitt had got the letter, Argus had stopped following Quidditch and given up on his hopes of going to Hogwarts. 

Pulling himself out of his reveries, Argus heard his mother say, "But I don't know about Muggle weddings. All these new things the Muggles are bringing in. it used to be a lovely marriage event, but now you go to a church and say "I do" as a contract." Mrs. Filch shook her head. "Mrs. Norris get off the counter!"

the kitten looked at Mrs. Flich with a look of distain before daintily hopping off. "she really smart that cat is." Argus said, picking up Mrs. Norris, who batted at his arm.

"Dear don't make her rip your shirt, I'm not good at muggle sewing." Mrs. Flich said absently, as she looked at a white wedding dress.

"You could always sew it using magic." Argus said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

"Yes, I suppose I could. Now Amber has red hair?"

"Auburn." Argus corrected out of habit. Amber hated her hair being referred to as "red".

~*~

Amber looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She was getting married tomorrow and Argus was the man she was marrying. She looked at her friends, Julia Becker, Alissa Barnett and Amelia Hass were all giggling about her. 

Carefully she unzipped the back of the dress with the help of her friends. She put the white dress in it's bag and got back into her skirt and blouse. "You all ready?" she asked.

The door banged open. 

Four men, cloaked and masked stood in the door way. Amber moved back a step, staring at them. They seemed to be holding a stick of wood out.

"_Crucio."_

~*~

Argus felt his heart hardening as he mechanically threw some dirt over the polished wood of the coffin. 

If only he had been a minute earlier…

_It's not like you could've done anything._ A voice told him.

_But I could have gotten her out some how._

_Yes, with your excellent plans. Argus you need to get away from this all._

Argus felt something warm at his feet. Mrs. Norris sat there, her amber eyes sad. 

Calmly Argus picked up the cat and held her against him as the coffin was slowly buried below the dirt.

~*~

_The night was warm and the light dimming. Amber sat beside him on a porch swing. She smiled at him and he kissed her._

_But before their lips met the scene started to melt away. Amber was lost first, then the background changed into a cold hard field. Argus yelled and tried to find Amber._

_Then suddenly he was in a house. It was medium sized and had a man a woman and a baby in it. Argus watched as the happy family carefully put the child down._

_And then the hooded figures began to appear. He stared at them, trying to call out to the family, to tell them that they were going to die, but every time he tried to yell, his voice closed off. _

_The figures moved closer and closer, and Argus was finding it hard to breath. They would kill the family and he again could do nothing._

A yowl woke him. He sat right up; Mrs. Norris fell off his chest. He took deep breaths, fearing to look around his small dark room. 

It had been three years since he last had that dream. He was at Hogwarts now, working as the assistant to Pringle, the old caretaker. He tried sorting through his mind, tried to find a reason to go back to sleep. But all he could see was Amber, her pale green eyes closing their last time. 

Mrs. Norris stuck her claws into his leg making him yelp. "I should put you in those chains that Pringle favours." Argus informed her.

She stared at him, her eyes reproachful. 

"Well, I guess you don't care too much do you?" Argus asked before lying down again. He shuddered, trying not to think about Amber anymore.

Mrs. Norris took her usual post at the bottom of the bed. She looked at her sleeping master with a kind eye. He had been through so much pain and hurt. She curled up, purring so that he would know that even if there was no one else there to love him, she did. 

**A/N: oh and don't say that it couldn't happen! You all know it could. Wahahahaha. It also explains why Argus hates the world. **

**You know you want to review… don't you. Whahahaha.**


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